Korean for Dummies (13 page)

eomeoni, je namjachingureul sogaehageseoyo.

uh-muh-ni, jae-nam-ja-chin-goo-reul so-gae-ha-get-

ssuh-yo

Mom, I’ll introduce you to my boyfriend.

Amanda:

o, geurae.

oo-geu-rae

Oh, sure.

Jessica:

ireumeun erigieyo.

ee-rum-eun erig-ee-ae-yo

His name is Eric.

Eric:

annyeonghaseyo eomeonim.

cheoeumboepgetseumnida

an-young-ha-sae-yo uh-muh-nim. chuh-eum-boep-

get-sseum-ni-da

Hello, mom. It’s a pleasure to meet you.

Amanda:

o, geure, erigeun mwohani?

oo-geu-rae, erigeun-mo-ha-ni?

Oh, sure, Eric, what do you do?

Eric:

a, ye, daehagwon gongbuhamnida.

a-ye, dae-hak-won gong-boo-ham-ni-da

Ah, yes, I’m studying in graduate school.

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Words to Know

abeoji

a-buh-ji

Father

ajeossi

a-jo-sshi

Mr

ajumma

a-joom-ma

Ms/Mrs

bumo

boo-mo

Parents

byeonhosa

byun-ho-sa

Lawyer

daehagwon

dae-hak-won

Graduate school

eomeoni

uh-muh-ni

Mother

gongbu

gong-boo

Study

siheom

shi-hum

Test/exam

yeonpil

yuhn-pil

Pencil

You can usually think of the following people as your seniors:

sangsa
(
sang-sa;
your superior, your boss)

seonsaengnim
(
sun-sang-nim;
teacher; you can also use this term as a sign of respect)

gyosunim
(
gyo-soo-nim;
professor)

sonnim
(
son-nim;
a client)

sajangnim
(
sa-jang-nim;
business owner; use this word to show respect)

hyeong
(
hyung;
older brother; use this term if you’re male)

nuna
(
noo-na;
older sister; use this term if you’re male)

eoni
(
un-ni;
older sister; use this term if you’re female)

oppa
(
op-pa;
older brother; use this term if you’re female 07_037188-ch03.qxp 6/24/08 11:07 PM Page 61

Asking for Names

Before you ask someone her name, break the ice by saying a quick
joesonghamnida
(
jwae-song-ham-ni-da;
I’m sorry, formal polite)
/joesonghaeyo
(
jwae-song-hae-yo;
I’m sorry, informal polite), or
sillyehamnida
(
shil-lae-ham-ni-da;
excuse me, formal polite)
sillyehaeyo
(
shil-lae-hae-yo;
excuse me, informal polite). Then politely ask
seonghami eotteoke doesimnikka
(s
ung-ham-ee uh-ttuh-kae dwae-shim-ni-kka;
what is your name, formal polite form)
seonghami
eotteoke doeseyo
(
sung-ham-ee uh-ttuh-kae dwae-sae-yo;
what is your name, informal polite). Although you can use the informal form of speech when asking for names, most Koreans use the formal polite form of speech.

However, for everyday living, it is perfectly okay to use the easier informal polite form. Usually the formal polite form is used with business/work setting and also when talking to a complete strangers.

You may want to combine your icebreaker with the word “but,” for a more natural sounding transition. In this case, say
joesonghamnidaman . . .

(
jwae-song-ham-ni-da-man;
I’m sorry, but . . .) or
sillyehamnidaman . . .
(
shil-lae-ham-ni-da-man;
Excuse me, but . . .). These two phrases are formal polite form. Although there is informal polite form of these phrases, in this case, it is better to use the formal polite form.

The key to asking for someone’s name is knowing how to say
i
(
ee:
this),
jeo
(
juh;
that), and
geu
(
geu;
that). Use
i
when referring to someone next to you.

Use
jeo
for someone who’s far away from both the listener and the speaker and you can see them. Use
geu
for someone near the speaker, and also to refer to people who aren’t present at the moment. Check out these examples to see how to use
i, ju,
and
keu:
i yeojabun
(
ee-yuh-ja-boon;
this lady)

i namjabun
(
ee-nam-ja-boon;
this gentleman)

i bun
(
ee-boon;
this person)

jeo bun
(
juh-boon;
that person over there)

jeo yeojabun
(
juh-yuh-ja-boon;
that lady over there)

jeo namjabun
(
juh-nam-ja-boon;
that gentleman over there)

geu bun
(
geu-nam-ja-boom;
that person who is not present)

geu yeojabun
(
geu-yuh-ja-boon;
that lady who is not present)

geu namjabun
(
geu-nam-ja-boon;
that gentleman who is not present) 07_037188-ch03.qxp 6/24/08 11:07 PM Page 62

Describing people

Pointing is rude in Korean culture, so you want

meoriga gin
(muh-ri-ga gin; long-haired)

to know how to describe a few features about

. . .
oseul ibeun
(oseul ibeun; wears . . .

people. The following list will get you started:

clothes) Fill in the blanks with an appropri-

kiga
jageun (ki-ga-ja-geun; short)

ate color.

kiga keun
(ki-ga-keun; tall)

jeo saramieyo? (juh-sa-ram-ee-yo; That

person, informal polite)

angyeongeul sseun
(an-gyung-eul-sseun;

wears glasses)

ye, geu yeopsaram marieyo (Ye, yep-sa-

ram-mal-ee-ae-yo; Yes, that person next to

angyeongeul ansseun
(an-gyung-eul an-you, informal polite.)

sseun; doesn’t wear glasses)

aniyo, geu yeopsaram marieyo (aniyo, yep-

meoriga jjalbeun
(muh-ri-ga jjalbeun; short—

sa-ram-mal-ee-ae-yo; No, that person next

haired)

to you, informal polite.)

If you want to ask a person’s name, simply add
seonghami eotteoke doeseyo
(
sung-ham-ee uh-ttuh-kae-dwae-sae-yo
; what is your name, formal polite). Use this form when you want to show respect to someone. i.e., when asking the name of your friend’s parents, someone senior than you. You can also ask
ireumi mwoeyo
(
ee-rum-ee-mo-ae-yo;
what is your name, informal polite). Use this in everyday conversation, to someone younger than you, and also to your friend’s friend.

Talkin’ the Talk

June and Tim are at a family reunion, but June forgets a relative’s

name and decides to ask Tim.

June:

tim, jeobun ireumi mwoeyo?

tim, juh-boon ee-rum-ee mo-ae-yo?

Tim, what’s that person’s name?

Tim:

jeo namja buniyo?

juh nam-ja boon-ee-yo?

That guy?

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June:

aniyo, geu yeopsaramiyo. meoriga gin yeojabuniyo.

a-ni-yo. Geu-yuhp-sa-ram-ee-yo. muh-ree-ga geen

yuh-ja-boon-ee-yo.

No, the person next to him. The woman with long

hair.

Tim:

a, jeo buniyo? jeo bunui seonghami Son jihiseyo.

a, juh-boon-ee-yo? juh-boon-ae sung-ham-ee Son-

jee-hee-sae-yo.

Ah, that person. That person’s name is Jihi Son.

June:

tim, gomawoyo.

tim, go-ma-wo-yo

Thanks Tim.

Talkin’ the Talk

Jane and Alice are planning a picnic. They are talking about the

weather.

Jane:

alice, pikkeunik ganeunnal nalssiga eotteoteyo?

alice, pic-keu-nik ga-neun-nal nal-sshi-ga uh-ttuh-

tae-yo?

Alice, how’s the weather on the day of the picnic?

Alice:

eung, radioeseo deureonneunde biga ondaeyo

ung, ra-di-o-ae-suh deu-rut-neundae bee-ga-on-dae-yo

Yeah, I heard on the radio that it’s going to rain.

Jane:

geureom eotteohajiyo?

grum, uh-ttuh-ka-ji-yo?

Then what should we do?

Alice:

daeume nalssiga joeulttae gayo.

da-eum-ae nal-sshi-ga jo-eul-ttae ga-yo

Let’s go next time when the weather is good.

Jane:

geuraeyo, geureoja.

geu-rae-yo, geu-ruh-jyo.

Alright, let’s do that.

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Words to Know

gajok

ga-jok

Family

gomo

go-mo

Aunt on dad’s side

imo

ee-mo

Aunt on mom’s side

ki

kee

Height

meori

muh-ree

Head

nun

noon

Eye

samchon

samchon

Uncle

Giving Thanks and Saying Sorry

A
miso
(
mi-so;
smile), a word of thanks, and a sincere apology can get you out of tight situations and may take you a long way with people from another culture. Here are some basic phrases that you may want to have at your disposal:
gamsahamnida
(
gam-sa-ham-ni-da;
thank you, formal polite): This is the most common “Thank you” phrase Koreans use. If you cannot remember

all the “Thank you” phrases, just remember this one and you will be just fine. This phrase is more commonly used when someone has given you

something, or has done something for you.

gamsahaeyo
(
gam-sa-hae-yo;
thank you, informal polite): This phrase is used mainly between friends or with people you have met before and

have some kind of relationships.

gomapseumnida
(
go-map-sseumni-da;
thank you, formal polite): This is the next common “Thank you” phrase used in Korea. You can use this

and
gamsahamnida
interchangeably. It is perfectly okay to just use one of these phrases.

gomawoyo
(go-ma-wo-yo
;
thank you, informal polite): This phrase is usually used if you know the person you are speaking to, just like

gamsahaeyo.

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Although informal polite form is okay to use, when Koreans are thanking someone, they usually use the formal polite form. Use of formal polite form makes the person who you are thanking feel more important and

respected. Using informal polite form to thank someone is okay if you

have met before and know each other, friends or people who are junior

than you.

singyeong sseo jusyeoseo . . .
(
shin-gyoung-ssuh joo-syuh-suh;
for caring
,
formal polite). This phrase is usually used with
gamsahamnida
or
gomapseumnida
’. It is never used alone. When you have the need to use this phrase, it is usually at a formal setting.

jalhaejusyeoseo . . .
(
jal-hae-joo-syuh-suh;
for being so nice
,
formal polite). This phrase is usually used with
gamsahamnida
or
gomapseumnida’.
It is never used alone. When you have the need to use this phrase, it is usually at a formal setting.

joesonghamnida
(
jwae-song-ham-ni-da;
I’m sorry, formal polite). This is the usual phrase Korean use when saying sorry to strangers or people

you want to show respect to.

joesonghaeyo
(
jwae-song-hae-yo;
I’m sorry, informal polite). This form of sorry can also be used at everyday setting with people you already

know.

mianhamnida
(
mi-an-ham-ni-da;
I’m sorry, formal polite). This is the usual phrase Korean use when saying sorry to strangers or people you

want to show respect to.

mianhaeyo
(
mi-an-hae-yo;
I’m sorry, informal polite). This form of sorry can also be used at everyday setting with people you already know.

pyekkichyeo deuryoseo mianhamnida
(
pae-kki-chuh deu-ryo-suh mianham-ni-da;
Sorry for causing such trouble, formal polite). When you are saying this phrase, it is usually in a formal setting. For example, at a business meeting, or when apologizing to people with seniority.

Therefore, I have omitted the informal polite form of this phrase.

pyekkichyeo deuryeoseo jowesonghamnida
(
pae-kki-chuh deu-ryo-suh
jwae-song-ham-ni-da;
Sorry for causing such trouble). When you need to use this phrase, it will also be at a formal setting. Therefore, the informal polite form of this phrase has been excluded.

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye in Korean sometimes depends on whether you’re staying or going. If you’re seeing your friend off from your house in the evening, you exchange farewells and call it a
bam
(
bam;
night). But in Korean, you tell the person leaving from the place to “go well” and the person staying to “stay well.” If you meet your friend at a restaurant, or some other location besides either of your homes or offices, you can also use these farewells.